“Hilary Smith has come through big time with a book about bipolar disorder targeted to teens or 20-somethings experiencing mental illness for the first time.” —Washington Post

“Among the wealth of works on bipolar, this title (wisely pulled from a Guns N’ Roses lyric) nicely stands out as a super reference for younger readers interested in or actually experiencing bipolar disorder and is also a valuable resource for professionals.” —Library Journal

“Hilary Smith’s Welcome to the Jungle provides readers with wise and excellent counsel about the thing called bipolar disorder. At once radical education and exuberant conversation, this combo memoir and self-help book is a must read for the millions whose ups and downs cause them to collide with psychiatry and the current supremely flawed mental health system.” —Eric Maisel, Ph.D., The Future of Mental Health and Rethinking Depression

“I wrote Welcome to the Jungle because it’s the book I should have been given when I was diagnosed." Bipolar disorder is one of the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric conditions among teens and twentysomethings, yet there are few books out there written specifically for this demographic.

This revised edition comes with a new foreword by the author, a revised and expanded discussion on diagnosis, an updated chapter on medication, a new chapter on alternative approaches, a revised and expanded chapter on symptoms, and updated resources. New research on the causes and risk factors for bipolar disorder are also included along with tools for observing patterns and making gentle changes to daily routines that can have a profound effect.

Going bravely where no other bipolar book has gone before Welcome to the Jungle offers devastatingly on-target, honest—and riotously funny—insights into living with bipolar and answers some of the hardest questions facing people newly diagnosed.

The subject of mental health has fascinated Hilary Smith since being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in college. She is the author of the novels Wild Awake and A Sense of the Infinite, both of which explore the themes of mental health and illness. She lives in Portland, OR. Visit her at www.hilarytsmith.com. (Photo Credit: Gabriel Jacobs)See all titles by this author